CAMARINES SUR Rep. LRay Villafuerte has urged incoming President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to consider continuing the “Libreng Sakay” or free ride program of public utility vehicles (PUVs) to help ease the economic woes of commuters reeling from the impact of ever-rising fuel prices.

Villafuerte noted that jeepneys, transport network vehicle services (TNVS), and buses have already petitioned the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) for fare increases, which, when approved, could prove even more “burdensome” for commuters.

The Libreng Sakay program of PUVs and Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) under the Duterte administration is scheduled to end simultaneously with President Duterte’s last day in office on June 30.

“I hope that the new administration of BBM would be able to find ways of continuing to fund the Libreng Sakay program until the end of the year. With transport costs now eating up a large share of the overall inflation rate in Metro Manila alone, the Libreng Sakay would be a big help in cushioning the impact of the fuel price shock on the commuting public,” Villafuerte said.

Villafuerte pointed out that in May, inflation accelerated to 4.9%, owing mainly to the transport index’s increase of 14.6%, while the food and non-alcoholic beverage index grew 4.9%.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), transport with an inflation rate rising to 13.8% in May 2022 from 12.3% in the previous month contributed largely to the uptrend of inflation in the National Capital Region (NCR).

The LTFRB was given a P7 billion fund for the Libreng Sakay program from the national budget.

The agency said it spends at least P14 million a day to pay for the contracted PUVs that cater to the daily influx of passengers.

At least 118 routes offering free rides earlier ended last June 16, 2022. The program covers selected areas in Metro Manila and 14 other regions in the country.

According to reports quoting LTFRB Executive Director Kristina Cassion, the Libreng Sakay was supposed to be extended until December, but the number of passengers catered by the participating PUVs exhausted the funds for the project.

The development comes amid the looming decision of the LTFRB on the petitions of PUVs for a fare hike.

Jeepney drivers and operators are asking for a P4 to P5 increase in minimum fares, while buses are asking for a P4 to P7 hike.

Villafuerte was the principal author in the House of the 18th Congress of the Bayanihan to Heal as One (Bayanihan 1) and Bayanihan to Recover as One (Bayanihan 2) laws that provided, among others, for “ayuda” or subsidies for low-income families, displaced workers and other sectors adversely affected by the global economic standstill resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Villafuerte-authored Bayanihan 1 and 2 laws had provided P5,000 to P8,000 unemployment or involuntary separation assistance to seasonal, casual, contractual, and probationary workers in certain sectors, including public transportation.

Villafuerte earlier urged the incoming President to consider putting up a national strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) – a long-conceived government plan that has “sadly crawled at a snail’s pace” at the Department of Energy (DOE) – especially now when domestic pump prices of fuel are close to reaching the level of P100 per liter.

“Given the seemingly endless oil price spiral in the world market, one way for the incoming BBM administration to stabilize the retail cost of petroleum products – and shield consumers and motorists from the debilitating effects of sky-high prices of gasoline and fuel – is to put up a ‘state-run’ storage facility that would enable the government to bring in additional inventory that could help soften future price surges,” Villafuerte said.